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Chapter 2028 Amphibious Floating Bridge

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    Because of Li Daozong¡¯s sudden news, Tang Jun couldn¡¯t sleep anymore.  All ministries mobilized urgently, packed their belongings, and prepared to retreat.

    In order to break out of the encirclement, Li Yuan gave up all the messy things.

    Except for equipment, ordnance and necessary food, all other supplies for the officers and soldiers of the three armies were discarded.  Fortunately, it was August and the weather was still hot, so there was nothing to keep out the cold.

    At three o'clock in the Chou hour, the officers and men of the three armies had a full meal.  At six o'clock in the morning, the soldiers of the three armies, who were ready to attack, launched an attack.

    The battle hasn¡¯t started yet, and almost two hours of the planned six-hour breakout time have passed.

    For Li Yuan, time is life now.

    The Tang army in Gaoling City attacked in two gates. The blocking army on the north road, led by Li Shuliang, came out from the east gate and formed an array outside Gaoling City.

    Jiang Baoyi's troops were still left in the city, and Li Shuliang's troops were at odds with each other, supporting each other to stop the Sui army.

    When leaving, Li Yuan held the hands of Li Shuliang and Jiang Baoyi and told them to "take care of themselves. As long as there is enough time, they will find an opportunity to break out."

    And the 25,000 breakout troops on the south road, led by Li Yuan, left the south gate and headed straight for the Weishui River.

    The Wei River is a big river, and crossing it is not an easy task.  Moreover, tens of thousands of people are eager to break out of the encirclement, but there are no ships to cross.

    The ships in Li Yuan's hands have long been lost.

    So Li Yuan gave up the direct boat ferry method from the beginning.

    After arriving at Gaoling City, Li Yuan ordered craftsmen to build more than two hundred flat boats.  This boat is different from other boats. It has a boat shape below, but the top is flat. When people step on it, it feels like walking on flat ground.

    This was originally Li Yuan¡¯s secret weapon to cross the river, and he happened to be sneaking in this time.

    This flat boat is only two feet long and about one foot wide.  The area above is approximately equivalent to eighteen or nineteen square meters in later generations.

    In order to facilitate transportation, Li Yuan also ordered people to add several wheels to the bottom of the boat.  Such equipment can be regarded as a simplified version of an amphibious transport ship.

    Because there are wheels underneath, four or five people can easily push the boat forward on land.

    Of course, Li Yuan also carried hundreds of sheepskin rafts as spare supplies.

    The sheepskin raft has long been filled with air, and it is convenient to transport it on a flat boat.

    Li Yuan entered Gaoling City in just four or five days. It is amazing that he was able to make such a batch of ferry tools in such a short period of time.

    A large number of Tang troops went straight from Gaoling City to the Weishui River, while only some cavalry lined up on both sides to protect the infantry.

    From Gaoling City to the south to the shore of the Wei River, it is only about ten miles.  But Li Yuan did not dare to go straight south, because the direction south of Gaoling City was only a few miles away from the Dongwei Bridge. From here across the river, it was easy to encounter Sui army scouts.

    Li Yuan chose a position slightly west of Xinfeng due north.  The Wei River turns a bend here and the river is narrow.  From here to the Loess Taiyuan, the straight-line distance is no more than fifteen miles.

    Although they were pushing more than 200 flat boats, the marching speed of everyone was by no means slow.

    We all know that this is the last chance to break out, and that the friendly soldiers have sacrificed their lives to pave the way for them. How dare everyone not rush on their way desperately.

    The soldiers leading the way held torches and advanced on both sides.

    In the darkness of the night, the entire team was like a fire dragon moving forward.

    From Gaoling City to the ferry, it was a total distance of thirty miles, and it took less than two hours for everyone to walk.

    Such a marching speed is simply a miracle in this era.  Fortunately, it is the Weibei Plain, a vast plain with nothing to obstruct it.  Otherwise it would be impossible to be so fast.

    When everyone arrived at the ferry, it was just dawn, and it was still nearly half an hour before Chenshi.

    Li Yuan did not dare to delay and immediately directed everyone to build a bridge to cross the river.

    Yes, it¡¯s exactly building a bridge.  Li Yuan brought more than 200 flat boats with the purpose of building a pontoon bridge on the Wei River.  Only in this way can the entire army cross the river as quickly as possible.

    The Tang army first built three iron pillars on the north bank of the river and then tied them with iron chains.  Then he took a boat to the south bank, built three more iron pillars, tied the other ends of the iron chains, and placed the three iron chains across the Wei River.

    Cutting it off, Tang Jun used the iron chain in the middle as the central axis, and the flat boats on both sides approached the iron chain one after another.  Enter the middle position sandwiched by three iron chains.

    There are holes all around the panels on the flat boat.

    At this time, the people on the boat used iron ropes to lock the holes on both sides of the boat to the iron chains.  Then use iron ropes to fix the flat boats parallel to the north and south in turn.

    That¡¯s it, twoA simple but sturdy pontoon bridge was built on the Wei River.

    In order to ensure the stability of the two pontoon bridges, Tang Jun also used hemp rope to tie the two ships parallel to each other.

    Although the pontoon still looks shaky and uneven, it can at least ensure the passage of pedestrians.

    At this time, hundreds of sheepskin rafts also came in handy.  Li Yuan was worried that the pontoon bridge could not support so many people crossing the river, so he had hundreds of sheepskin rafts tied to both sides of the pontoon bridge.

    A pontoon bridge was built, lasting two to three hundred meters long, connecting the north and the south and ensuring the Tang army's crossing of the river.

    The most important thing is that the construction of the floating bridge saved enough time for the Tang army to cross the river. From construction to completion, it took less than an hour.

    This time, the craftsmen of the Tang Army enjoyed the treatment of generals. They all rode horses and dragged chains to the ferry to make preparations.  Therefore, the entire pontoon bridge has not yet been repaired.

    There were still two hours before noon. The scouts who had crossed the river in advance reported that the main force of the Sui army as far away as Dongwei Bridge seemed to have discovered them and had begun to rush towards the ferry.

    It is less than fifteen miles from Dongwei Bridge to the ferry. With such a short distance, the Sui army's cavalry can arrive in an instant.

    Li Yuan took the lead to cross the river, and the first to cross the river were Li Yuan's personal guards and the cavalry of the Tang army.

    After all, it is a temporary pontoon bridge, and there is no time to worry about the details.  So this pontoon is actually rough and of poor quality.  When people walk on it, one foot is deep and one foot is shallow, and it feels like it is floating and swaying from side to side, as if it is about to fall at any time.

    The two bridges were only two feet wide when combined. In order to speed up the crossing, Li Yuan ordered the cavalry to cross the river in two rows and the infantry to cross the river in four rows.

    It¡¯s a narrow distance to walk on flat ground, let alone on a rickety pontoon.

    People walk on the bridge, swaying left and right, and bump into people around them from time to time.  And I don¡¯t know how many people were accidentally knocked into the water.

    On the Wei River, you can only hear the sound of "plop" and "plop" falling into the water.

    The person who fell into the water didn't even have time to call for help before he was washed away by the rapid river water.

    This ferry is narrow, so the river is naturally a bit fast.

    After the Guards and the main cavalry crossed the river, Li Yuan ordered to build a position on the west side of the ferry to block the Sui army and ensure that the three armies could cross the river.

    The most elite troops of the Tang Army are on the front line.

    At this time, Li Yuan no longer cares about the loss of elite troops. This battle must be sustained.  (Remember the website address: www.hlnovel.com
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